My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Billy Wagner ’

A late rally comes too late as the Phils lose the final game of the regular series to the Braves, 8-7. They will begin the NL Divisional playoffs facing the National League Central Division Champs, the Cincinnati Reds this coming Wednesday at Philadelphia.

The Phils took a 2-0 lead in the third as, with one man on, and with one man out, pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier been hit by the pitch. The Braves got a run back in their half of the third as, with one man on, and with two men out, Jason Heyward hits an RBI triple, knocking in Rick Ankiel, who had earlier singled, then went to second on Tim Hudson’s sacrifice bunt, 3-4, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 2-1. The Braves tied it up at two-all in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Brooks Conrad hits an RBI single, knocking in Matt Diaz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Alex Gonzalez’s single, while sending Gonzalez, who had just singled, over to third base. Two batters later, with runners still on the corners, and now with two men out, Hudson hits an RBI single, scoring Gonzalez, giving the Braves a 3-2 lead, while sending Conrad up to second base. The Braves then took a 5-2 lead as Omar Infante hits an RBI triple, knocking in both Conrad and Hudson. The Braves added to their lead in the sixth as Derrek Lee hits a lead-off home run, his nineteenth home run of the year, giving the Braves a 6-2 lead. Four batters later, with two men on, and with one man out, Conrad hits an RBI single, scoring Brian McCann, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on Diaz’s single, then went to third on Gonzalez’s ground out, 5-3, giving the Braves a 7-2 lead, before Diaz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Gonzalez’s ground out, is thrown out at home plate by a throw to home by Ryan Howard, after Jayson Werth’s throw into the infield gets pass him, with Brian Schneider applying the tag, 9-3-2, for the second out of the inning, while Conrad would go to second on the play. The Braves then made it an 8-2 lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Diaz hits an RBI single, scoring Heyward, who had earlier walked, and was safe at second on a 5-3 doubleplay on a grounder by Lee, as Infante, who had earlier singled, and had gone to second on Heyward’s walk, was wiped out at third base, while McCann, who had just walked, moved up to second base. The Phils made it an 8-4 Braves’ lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Werth hits a two-run home run, his twenty-seventh home run of the year, scoring Howard, who had just walked. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead further in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Wilson Valdez hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Bocock, who was pinch running for Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Braves third baseman Omar Infante’s throwing error of pinch hitter Mike Sweeney’s grounder, making it an 8-5 Braves’ lead, while sending Sweeney, who was safe on Infante’s error, up to second base. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead down to 8-7 as pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits a two-run double, scoring both Sweeney and Valdez. That would end up being the final score as Billy Wagner would record his thirty-seventh save of the year by recording a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Greg Dobbs, looking.

Cole Hamels pitches two scoreless innings, walking a batter, while striking out two. Roy Oswalt pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Danys Baez took the lost as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out one. His record is now 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA. Mike Zagurski pitches a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Joe Blanton pitches an inning, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk. J.C. Romero pitches two-thirds of an inning, before leaving the game because of a bad back, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Chad Durbin pitches an inning and a third, giving up a hit and two walks, as he strikes out a batter. Brad Lidge pitches an inning, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out a batter. Tim Hudson gets the win as he pitches seven innings, giving up four runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter, while he strikes out three. His record is now 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA. Jonny Venters pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two unearned runs on a hit, while striking out a batter. Billy Wagner records his thirty-seventh save of the season as he pitches an inning and a third, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out four.

The Phils had only five hits in the game, a single by Jimmy Rollins, a single by Wilson Valdez, knocking in a run, a two-run home run by Jayson Werth, a two-run pinch hit home run by John Mayberry, Jr. and a two-run pinch hit double by Ben Francisco. The Phils’ offense was otherwise kept quiet yesterday.

The Phils, at 97-65, ended the season with the best record in the majors, doing so for the first time in the team’s 128-years history. They will begin the divisional series at home this coming Wednesday, facing the Cincinnati Red, the Central Division champs, looking for some revenge for 1976, when they were swept in a three game series for the NL Championship.

A melt down in the sixth inning by Jamie Moyer, after the Phils have taken the lead in the fifth, leads to a 7-5 lost at the hands of the Braves. The Phils are now trailing the 1st place Braves by six full games, as the All-Star break nears.

The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the first as Martin Prado starts the game with a lead-off home run, his ninth home run of the season. The Phils tied it up at one-all in the second as, with one man on, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI double, scoring Wilson Valdez, who had earlier doubled. The Phils then took the lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier walked, to give the Phils a 3-1 lead. Then, in the sixth, the wheels came off. With one out, Prado hits a solo home run, his second home run of the night and his tenth home run of the season, to make it a 3-2 Phils’ lead. Four batters later, the Braves took the lead as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Omar Infante, a double to Chipper Jones, sending Infante to third, and a walk to Troy Glaus, and with still one man out, Brian McCann hits a three-run double, scoring Infante, Jones and Glaus, giving the Braves a 5-3 lead. Matt Diaz then followed with a two-run home run, his first home run of the year, making it a 7-3 Braves’ lead. The Phils would get a run back in the seventh as, with two men out, Shane Victorino hits a solo home run, his thirteenth home run of the year, making it a 7-4 Braves’ lead. The Phils cut the Braves’ lead down to 7-5 in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits a pinch hit RBI single, scoring Greg Dobbs, who had earlier singled and then moved to third on pinch hitter Ross Gload’s single, while sending Gload, who had earlier got on base with a pinch hit single, up to second base. But that would end up being the final score as Billy Wagner would put the Phils down in order in the ninth for his nineteenth save of the year.

Jamie Moyer took the lost as he went five and one-thirds innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out three. His record is now 9-8 with a 4.51 ERA. Danys Baez, Nelson Figueroa and Jose Contreras combine for three and two-thirds shut out innings, giving up three hits (one hit each) between them, while striking out three (one strikeout each). Kris Medlen gets the win, as he pitches six and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five. His record is now 6-1 with an ERA of 3.19. Jonny Venters records his eighth hold as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs or hits. Takashi Saito receives his eleventh hold of the year as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Billy Wagner receives his nineteenth save of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Greg Dobbs leading the way with two hits each. Rollins’ two hits were doubles, knocking in a run, while Howard’s two hits were a single and a two-run home run, and Dobbs’ two hits were both singles. Shane Victorino, Wilson Valdez, pinch hitter Ross Gload and pinch hitter Ben Francisco had the other four Phils’ hits, with Victorino’s hit being a solo home run, Waldez’s hit being a double, and Gload and Francisco’s hits being pinch hit singles, with Francisco knocking in a run.The Phils’ offense is still looking to do the following, with the All-Star Break just around the corner: getting key base hits, creating well sustained rallies and coming from behind to win late in games.

The Phils (43-40, 3rd NL East) start a four-game series with the Reds (49-37, 1st NL Central), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.70), who is coming off a complete game victory against the Pirates on July 3, as he gave up four runs, three of which were earned, on ten hits and three walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 12-4 rout. In his last three starts, his record is 1-1 with a no-decision, as he pitched nineteen and one-third innings, giving up fifteen runs, twelve of which were earned, on twenty-four hits and four walks, while he struck out nine batters. He will be trying to continue the momentum from his last start, while hoping that the ‘bad’ Kendrick won’t make an appearance at some point in the game. The Reds will counter with Johnny Cueto (8-2, 3.56), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cubs on July 3, as he pitched five innings, giving up just seven hits and five walks, while striking out two, in the Reds’ 3-1 lost. In his last three starts, he is 2-0 with a no-decision, as he pitched twenty innings, giving up just one run on twenty scattered hits and nine walks, while striking out only six. He will be going for his ninth win of the season, and his second win this season against the Phils. The Phils will be trying to win their first series since their home away from home series against the Blue Jays, while trying to keep from slipping any further behind the Braves in the East.

Lack of offensive punch, and a bullpen implosion in the eleventh inning, leads to another lost as the Phils drop one to the Braves in eleven innings, 6-3. They are once again trailing the Braves by five games in the NL East.

The Braves took the lead in the top of the first as, with the bases loaded, via singles to Martin Prado and Omar Infante and a walk to Chipper Jones, which moved both Prado and Infante up a base, and with nobody out, Troy Glaus hits into a doubleplay, 4-3, allowing Prado to score from third, as Jones was wiped out at second, to give the Braves a 1-0 lead, while Infante moved up to third. The Phils took the lead in their half of the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his seventh home run of the year, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier walked, and then stole second base as Shane Victorino struck out, to give the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Braves tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, David Ross hits an RBI single, knocking in Matt Diaz, who had just doubled. The Braves took the lead in the eighth as, with two men out, Prado hits a solo home run, his tenth home run of the season, to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. The Phils came back to tie it up at three-all in their half of the seventh as, with a runner on first, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI triple, just missing a home run, knocking in Ibanez, who had earlier walked. The Phils then blew an opportunity to take the lead with a runner on third, and nobody out, as Jayson Werth is called out on strikes for the inning’s first out, then pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits a fly ball to center which is not deep enough to score Howard from third for the second out of the inning, and then Wilson Valdez grounded out, 5-3, on a sensational play by Jones, to end the inning. The Braves then took the lead for good in the eleventh as, with a runner on base, and with nobody out, Diaz hits an RBI double, scoring Yunel Escobar, who had earlier singled, to make it a 4-3 Braves’ lead. Three batters later, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Erick Hinske hits a two-run home run, his sixth home run of the season, scoring Diaz, to give the Braves a 6-3 lead. That would be the final score as Billy Wagner records his eighteen save of the year by getting Ibanez to strike out with a man on second base, for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he went seven innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out eight. Jose Contreras pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits. J.C. Romero pitches a third of an inning, getting out the only man whom he would face. Brad Lidge pitches a scoreless inning, striking out two. David Herndon took the lost as he pitches an inning, plus two batters, giving up two runs on two hits. His record is now 0-2 with a 4.08 ERA. Mike Zagurski pitches an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while striking out three. Jair Jurrjens also receives a no-decision, as he pitches six innings, plus two batters, giving up three runs on two hits and three walks, while striking out four. Peter Moylan pitches a third of an inning, striking out the only man whom he would face. Jonny Venters pitches two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face. Takashi Saito and Eric O’Flaherty combined for two scoreless innings, striking out a batter between them (O’Flaherty). Jesse Chavez gets the win as he pitches a scoreless inning, walking a batter. His record is now 1-1 with a 5.63 ERA. Billy Wagner records his eighteenth save of the year as he also pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had only three hits in the game, a two-run home run by Raul Ibanez, an RBI triple by Ryan Howard and a single by Shane Victorino. The Phils hurt themselves last night by not being more patient at the plate, after getting Jurrjens pitch count up to 28 pitches in the very first inning. This seems to be their major problem. Although they were called an American League team early in the season, they have a bad habit to not act like an AL team, i.e. show patient at the plate, and especially not swing at the pitcher’s junk. Of course, some of the key cogs in their hitting machine is out of commission, but that is still no excuse for the piss poor way they are playing right now. Guys, if you are going to try to run up the pitcher’s pitch count, stop swinging at the first and/or second pitch he throws at you. Wear him out. Sheesh. Is that too much to ask for?

The Phils (43-39, 3rd) will conclude their series with the Braves (49-35, 1st) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Jamie Moyer (9-7, 4.13), who is coming off a lost against the Pirates on July 2, as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and two walks, while he struck out eight, in the Phils’ 2-0 lost. In his last three starts, he is 2-1, as he pitched twenty-one innings, giving up five runs, only four of which were earned, on thirteen hits and three walks, while he struck out twenty. He will be going for his tenth win of the season, hoping that the Phils’ bats will actually hit behind him. The Braves will counter with Kris Medlen (5-1, 3.01), who is coming off a no-decision against the Marlins on July 2, as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while he struck out five, in the Braves’ 4-3 win. In his last three starts, he is 1-0 with two no-decisions, as he pitched nineteen and one-third innings, giving up six runs, five of which were earned, on seventeen hits and four walks, while he struck out fifteen. He will be going for his sixth win of the year. The Phils will be going for the series win, to put themselves four games behind the Braves in the pennant chase.

Despite throwing his second straight strong outing since coming off the disable list, Joe Blanton takes the lost as the Phils’ offense is unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities as the Phils lost to the Braves, 4-1.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Schneider, who had earlier singled, and then moved up to second on Joe Blanton’s single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Blanton, who had earlier singled, up to second base. Blanton then took control, stopping several Braves’ rallies, while not giving up a hit, until Braves’ starter Kris Medlen got a lead-off single in the fifth, while first Medlen, and then reliever Eric O’Flaherty, kept the Phils from getting any more runs. Then the Braves got back into the game in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Eric Hinske hits an RBI double, knocking in Chipper Jones, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on Brian McCann’s single, then went to third on Troy Glaus’ fly out to center, tying the game up at one-all, while sending McCann up to third. One batter later, the Braves took the lead on an RBI single by Melky Cabrera, scoring McCann, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead, while sending Hinske over to third. The Braves then made it 3-1 as Omar Infante hits a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Hinske, while Cabrera moved up to second. The Braves then added an insurance run in the ninth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Glaus hits an RBI single, scoring Nate McLouth, who had earlier singled, went to second on Martin Prado’s sacrifice bunt, then moved up to third on Jones’ ground out, 4-3, giving the Braves a 4-1 lead, while sending McCann, who had just walked, up to second base. That would be the final score as Billy Wagner put the Phils’ down 1-2-3, to records his fourth save of the year.

Joe Blanton took the lose as he pitches six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out three. His record is now 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA. J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin and Jose Contreras combine for two scoreless innings, giving up only three walks (Romero (2), Contreras (1)), while striking out two batters (Romero and Chad one batter each). Danys Baez pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. Kris Medlen receives a no-decision as he pitches four and a third innings, giving up a run on nine hits, as he strikes out three. Eric O’Flaherty got the win as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. His record is now 2-1 with an ERA of 2.19. Craig Kimbrel records his first hold of the season as he goes a third of an inning, giving up two walks. Peter Moylan records his fifth hold of the year as he pitches one and one-third scoreless innings, giving up two walks. Jonny Venters records his first hold of the year as he pitches a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face. Takashi Saito records his second hold of the season as he pitches a scoreless inning, striking out two batters. Billy Wagner records his fourth save of the year as he throws a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits, all singles, in the game, unable to deliever a key hit to take an early commanding lead. Placido Polanco had three hits. Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Brian Schneider, Carlos Ruiz and Joe Blanton had the other six hits, with Victorino knocking in the only Phil run.

The Phils (18-12, 1st) will conclude their series and the home stand with an afternoon game against the Braves (13-17, 5th). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (2-2, 4.42), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on May 4, when he went eight plus innings, giving up just one run on eight hits and two walks, as he struck out eight, in the Phils’ 2-1 extra-innings walk-off win. He will try to build on his two previous strong starts while trying for his third win of the season. The Braves will counter with Kenshin Kawakami (0-5, 5.47), who is coming off a lost against the Nationals on May 4, as he went only five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while he struck out one, in the Braves’ 6-3 lost. He will be trying to gain his first win of the season. The Phils will be trying to end their good home stand on a high note before going on the road to face the Rockies in Denver.

A good performance by Kyle Kendrick goes to waste as the Phils’ bullpen gives up three late innings home runs, as the Phils lose in ten innings to the Braves, 4-3. They are now tied for first place in the East with the Braves.

The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Chase Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Later that same inning, Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick pitches himself out of a jam, as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Martin Prado, a double to Chipper Jones, which sent Prado over to third, and an intentional walk to Brian McCann, and with one man out, Troy Glaus hits into a 5-4-3 double play, wiping out McCann at second base. The Phils then increased their lead in the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier doubled, to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils would make it 3-0 in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Utley hits an RBI force out, 6-4, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, and then went to third on Polanco’s single, while wiping out Polanco, who had earlier singled, at second base. The Braves then came back in the ninth as, with a runner on first, and with two men out, Gluas hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Jones, who had earlier walked, cutting the Phils’ lead to 3-2. The next batter, Jason Heyward, then tied the game up at three-all with a solo shot, his fourth home run of the season. After Billy Wagner pitches a 1-2-3 top of the tenth, Phils’ reliever Jose Contreras threw a 2-2 curve that Nate McLouth hits into right field for a walk-off home run, his first home run of the season, to give the Braves a 4-3 win.

Kyle Kendrick pitches a no-decision as he goes eight strong inning, his first good start of the season, as he gives up only four hits and two walks, while striking out two. Ryan Madson records his first blown save of the season as he pitches an inning, giving up three runs on two hits, both home runs, and a walk. Jose Contreas took the lost as he pitches to one batter, giving up a run on one hit, a home run. His record is now 0-1 with an ERA of 2.45. Tommy Hanson also pitches a no-decision, as he lasts only four and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he strikes out four. Eric O’Flaherty pitches a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Peter Moylan pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Kris Medlen pitches two innings, giving up a run on two hits, as he strikes out a batter. Jesse Chavez pitches a 1-2-3 inning. Billy Wagner gets the win as he also pitches a 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

The Phils recorded nine hits in the game, with Placido Polanco and Chase Utley leading the team with two hits each, with both men recording a single and a double, while Utley knocked in two runs. Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Juan Castro had the other five Phils’ hits, with Werth’s hit being a double. Howard knocked in the other Phils’ run with an RBI single.

The Phils (8-5, 1st-T) continue their three games visit with the Braves (8-5, 1st-T) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phillies will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.13), who is coming off a strong win against the Marlins on April 16, where he went eight innings, giving up two runs on eight scattered hits, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 8-6 win. He will be going for his fourth straight win in as many starts, while trying to put a stop to the Phils’ present three games losing streak. The Braves will counter with Tim Hudson (1-0, 2.84), who is coming off a win against the Padres on April 15, as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits and five walks, in the Braves’ 6-2 win. He will be trying to match Halladay pitch for pitch. The Phils, meanwhile, will be trying to regroup after such a tough lost, and put a stop to their present losing streak.

Two monster home runs by Ryan Howard is more than enough runs support for Cliff Lee as he wins his fifth straight start since being traded to the Phils, as the Phillies defeated the depleted Mets, 6-2, winning the series, before they head off to Pittsburgh. They increase their lead in the NL East over the Braves to seven games.

In the first, the Phils took the lead as, with two men on, and with only one man out, Ryan Howard hits a three-run bomb to left field, his thirty-third home run of the season, as he scored Shane Victorino, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, stole second and then went to third on Mets’ catcher Omir Santos’ throwing error, and Chase Utley, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Mets got a run back in their half of the first as Angel Pagan hits a soft pop fly to Utley, who misplayed the ball, dropping it for a fielding error, allowing Pagan to reach first and then head on to second base for a two-base error. Utley then committed a throwing error as he tried to throw out Pagan at second base, but threw the ball past Phils’ shortstop Eric Bruntlett towards the left field foul area, which would eventually allow Pagan to score on the second two-base error of the play, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. This is the first time in his career that Utley has committed two errors in a ballgame, as well as two errors on one play. Three batters later, with a man on third and with one out, Fernando Tatis hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Gary Sheffield, who had earlier tripled, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils added to their lead in the third as, with a man on base, and with one out, Howard hits his second home run of the game, his thirty-fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field, knocking in Jayson Werth, who had earlier walked, making it a 5-2 Phils lead. That would remain the lead until the top of the ninth as Phils’ starter Cliff Lee took control of the game from the second inning onwards, giving up only six hits, and two unearned runs, while he struck out five for seven strong innings. In the ninth, the Phils would add an insurance run as, with a runner on second, and with one out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead. That would end up being the final score as Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Cliff Lee got the win as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up two unearned runs on six hits, while striking out five. His record is now 12-9 (5-0) with an ERA of 2.63 (0.68). Chan Ho Park pitched a 1-2-3 inning as he collected his eighth hold, striking out a batter. Brad Lidge also pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Bobby Parnell took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up five runs on four hits and three walks, while he struck out three. His record is now 3-6 with an ERA of 5.08. Ken Takahashi, Elmer Dessens and Billy Wagner combined for three scoreless innings, giving up only a hit (Takahashi) and a walk (Wagner), while striking out four batters (Takahashi (2), Wagner (2)). Pedro Feliciano pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Brian Stokes pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up only a walk, as he struck out a batter.

The Phils had only seven hits, with Ryan Howard and Ryan Ibanez leading the way with two hits apiece, with both of Howard’s hits being home runs, knocking in five of the Phils’ runs, while one of Ibanez’s hits was a double, knocking in the Phils’ other run. Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Eric Bruntlett had the other three Phils’ hits, with Utley’s hit being a double. Once again, the Phils’ had little offense, but got the big hit when they needed it, as they go on to Pittsburgh, after a successful start of their road trip in New York.

The Phillies (72-50, 1st National League East) continue their road trip with a three games series with the Pirates (51-71, 6th National League Central). The game will be played at PNC Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (8-6, 3.86), who is coming off a win against the D-backs on August 20, where he went eight innings, giving up three runs on ten hits, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 12-3 win. He will be trying to gain his ninth win, while starting the series against the lowly Bucos on a good note. The Pirates will counter with Ross Ohlendorf (11-8, 4.15), who is coming off a win against the Brewers on August 18, as he pitched seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and two walks, while striking out five, in the Pirates’ 5-2 win. He will be going for his twelfth win, while hoping to slow down the Phils. The Phils will be trying to take advantage of one of the worst teams in the NL, while trying to put even further distance between them and the NL East rivals.

The second place Phillies (76-64) prepare to face the first place Mets (79-61) for the last time this season, with first place on the line, for a three games series in New York. The game will be played at Shea Stadium and will start at 7:10 pm tonight. The Phillies’ starter will be their hottest pitcher, Brett Meyer (8-10, 4.40), who is 5-1 with a ERA of 1.78 along with two no-decisions in which the Phillies are 1-1, in his last eight starts. He is coming off a victory against the Cubs on August 30, where he pitched seven plus innings, giving up two earned runs on eleven hits (all singles) and eight strikeouts, in the Phillies’ 5-2 win. His last start against the Mets on July 23, he went five innings, giving up three earned runs on three hits and five walks, in the Phillies’ 6-3 lost. He will be looking for his sixth win since coming back from his minor league stint while bringing the Phillies closer to first place. His opponent will be Mike Pelfrey (13-8, 3.66), who is coming off a no-decision against the Marlins on August 30, where he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits, in the Mets’ 4-3 lost. He will be trying to improve his record while also trying to put some more distance between the Mets and the Phillies.

The Phillies will be coming to New York, trying to sweep their first series from the Mets since last September, as they make their last visit to Shea Stadium, which will be replaced by a new stadium next season. The Phillies will be sending against the Mets their present hot starter (Brett Myers), the 45-years old veteran (Jamie Moyer) and their ace (Cole Hamels), praying that they can shut down the Mets’ offense while their own offense attempts to run up the pitch count of the Mets’ starters and get at the Billy Wagner-less bullpen. The offense has been showing signs that it could bust loose at any time. Now would be the most appropriate time for it to bust out. Otherwise, the team will be seeing itself in a bigger hole than it did last year at this time as it doesn’t appear that this year’s Mets team will have as dramatic a collapse as it did last year. The Phillies need to take care of business NOW if they don’t want the Mets to give them the buisness this weekend.

The Phillies are now trailing the Mets as they prepare to meet them for a three games series. The Phillies are ahead of the Marlins by five games as they prepare for a three games weekend series with the Cardinals.

The 13th inning becomes a nightmare inning for the Mets as the Phillies would finish coming from behind to defeat the Mets, 8-7. The ballgame would appear to fall into three acts. Act one would involves the Mets knocking out of the box Phillies’ starter Jamie Moyer. The first sign of trouble would appear at the very start of the ballgame as the Mets’ lead off man, Jose Reyes, would start the game off with a triple. Damion Easley would then follow by knocking him in with a RBI single, making the score 1-0 Mets. David Wright would then hit a single, putting Mets’ runners on first and second. Three batters later, after Moyer loads up the bases by hitting Carlos Delgado, and with one out, Fernando Tatis would make it a 2-0 game with a RBI single, scoring Easley and leaving the bases loaded. Moyer would finally end the inning by getting Ryan Church to pop up to him under the Infield Fly Rule and Ramon Castro to ground out. The Phils would try to answer back in their half of the first, as Jimmy Rollins would get a double off of Mets’ starter Pedro Martinez, who would then hit Chase Utley with the pitch, thus putting runners on first and second base with no one out. After Pat Burrell flies out to right, Rollins and Utley would steal third and second on a double steal, putting both men in scoring position. But, that would be where they would stay, as Martinez would get both Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino to strike out. The Mets would then add a run in the second, as, with two men out, Easley would hit his sixth home run of the year, a solo shot, that would make it 4-0 Mets. The Mets would then increase their lead in the third to 6-0, when, with one swing of the bat, Tatis would hit his eleventh home run of the year, a three-run shot that would score Carlos Beltran and Delgado, who have both gotten on base with singles. Moyer would finally get out of the inning as he gives up only one more hit, a single to Martinez, adding insult to his very bad night. Moyer would then be lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the third, as Martinez would put the Phillies down for the second straight inning, although giving up another hit to Rollins. The fourth would bring up Clay Condrey in relief of Moyer, who would then give up the seventh and, what no one at the time knew, would be the final Mets’ run, as, with a man on third, Wright would hit a ground out, second to first, scoring Easley, who has earlier tripled. After Condrey gets out the next two batters, that would bring down the curtain on the first act, with the Phillies trailing 7-0 and the game looking like a laugher for the Mets.

But, the curtain would then rise on the second act and the Phillies’ would surprisingly come back. In the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies would score their first run, when, with one out, Pedro Feliz would knock in Victorino, who has reached base on a force out of Howard, who has walked, stole second and then went to third on Jayson Werth’s single, on a sacrifice fly, making it 7-1 Mets. Then in the fifth, the Phillies would close the gap as, with a runner on second, and no outs, Rollins would hit a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the year, knocking in Condrey, who has earlier doubled, making it 7-3 Mets. Three batters later, with a man on first and one out, Howard would hit a two-run home run of his own, his thirty-fifth home run of the year, scoring Utley, who has earlier walked, to make it a 7-5 Mets’ lead. The Mets would try to increase their lead in the sixth, as they load the bases via two singles (Reyes and Easley) and a hit batter (Beltran), with only one out. But Condrey would dig in his heels and end the threat by getting Delgado to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. The Phillies would have their own threat in the sixth, as, with two out, Rollins and Utley would both reach base on singles, with Rollins going to third on Utley’s hit. But, sadly, the inning would end with Burrell, who would end up leaving eighteen men on base in two straight games, striking out. The Phillies would make it closer in the eighth, as, with two men on, and one out, Rollins would hit a RBI single, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who has earlier singled, and sending Chis Coste, who has also singled, to third. Utley would then strike out for the inning’s second out. After Rollins steals second to put two men in scoring position, Burrell would end the inning by flying out to left. Then, in the ninth, after Brad Lidge puts down the Mets 1-2-3 in the top of the inning, the Phillies would go to work on Mets’ reliever Luis Ayala, who the Mets were using as their closer in placed of the injured Billy Wagner. The inning would start off with Howard flying out to center field for out number one. Victorino would then ground out, short to first, for out number two. Werth would then get on base with a single. Pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett would then follow with a pinch hit double, scoring Werth, and tying the game up at 7 all, to the surprise of the Mets, who are probably now seeing the return of the nightmare of last September in their dreams. Ayala would finally end the inning by getting Ruiz to ground out, short to first, with a throw from Reyes that barely beat out Ruiz, which could’ve otherwise ended the game right there as Weth was running non-stop from second base with the potential winning run. The game would now go into its third act, extra-innings.

After Ryan Madson puts down the Mets in the top of the tenth, the Phillies would try to win the game in their half of the tenth. Coste would lead off the inning with a double. Instead of walking Rollins, who at this point has been five for five on the night, eight for his last eight, and been on base tenth straight times, Mets’ reliever Aaron Heilman would get him to fly out to left for the inning’s first out. Utley is then intentionally walked to put runners on first and second. Burrell would then come to the plate, and strike out looking for the inning’s second out. Howard would then end the threat by grounding out to first. In the eleventh, the Phillies would threaten again on Heilman. With one out, Werth would work a walk. Bruntlett would then single, putting two men on base with still one out. Pinch hitter Cole Hamels would then strike out for the second out. Coste would then single, loading up the bases. But Heilman would end this threat by getting Rollins to pop up to third. Neither team would be able to do anything in the twelfth inning. Then, in the thirteenth, with the Phillies down to their last relief pitcher and with tonight’s starter Kyle Kendrick warming up in the pen if needed, Rudy Seanez would put down the Mets’ 1-2-3. Then they would go to work on the last Mets’ reliever Scott Schoeneweis. Victorino would greet him with a triple to right. Schoeneweis would then intentionally walk both Werth and Bruntlett to load the bases, to face Seanez. Instead, pitcher Brett Myers would be sent out as a pinch hitter, with what turns out to be orders not to swing. Which he did, as he almost worked out a walk but would be instead called out on strikes on a 3-2 fastball on the inside corner. This would bring up Coste. After taking a ball, Coste, with both the infield and outfield in to try and prevent the winning run from scoring, would loft a fly ball deep to center, that would go past center fielder Beltran, who has already given up the chase, and drop in for a single in front of the warning track, scoring Victorino with the winning run, as the Phillies would finish the ballgame with a very dramatic, come from behind 8-7 win over a stunned New York ballclub, as they regain first place in the East.

Jamie Moyer would get a no-decision as his record of good outings end at fourteen straight, as he is only able to go three innings, giving up six earned runs on nine hits and a hit batter. Clay Condrey would pitch two and a third innings, giving up a run on three hits and a hit batter. Scott Eyre, Chad Durbin, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero would all combine for six and two-thirds innings of scoreless ball, as they shut down the Mets’ offense, giving up only two hits (Madson), three walks (Durbin (2), Romero (1)) and striking out four (Eyre (1), Lidge (2), Romero (1)). Rudy Seanez would get the win as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 5-3 with a 3.38 ERA. Pedro Martinez would also receive a no-decison as he goes five innings, giving up five earned runs on seven hits, two walks and a hit batter, while striking out eight. Brian Stokes would pitch two scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and striking out two. Duaner Sanchez would pitch a third of an inning, giving up an earned run on one hit. Pedro Feliciano would also pitch a third of an inning, giving up no runs on two hits, with a strike out. Joe Smith would also go a third of an inning, giving up no runs or hits. Luis Ayala would receive his fifth blown save of the year, as he gives up an earned run on two hits. Aaron Heilman would pitch three tough scoreless innings, giving up three hits and walking two while striking out four. Scott Schoeneweis would get the lost as he goes a third of an inning, giving up an earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out one. His record is now 2-3 with a ERA of 3.10.

The Phillies’ offense, after being put in a deep 7-0 hole would come back, slow chipping away at the Mets’ lead before finally winning it in the thirteenth, while the bullpen would combine to keep the Mets from scoring another run after David Wright’s ground out RBI scoring Damion Easley in the fourth. The offense, in its comback, would get nineteen hits, with Jimmy Rollins leading the way with five hits, missing the cycle for the second straight night as he has three singles, a double and a home run, scoring a run and knocking in three. Chris Coste would be next, as he was 4 for 4 after coming off the bench, getting three singles, including the game winner, and a double, followed by Jason Werth, as he went 3 for 5, along with two walks, as he scored a run. All of the starters would contribute at least one hit, except for Pedro Feliz, who would go 0 for 2 with a sac fly before being replaced by Greg Dobbs in the sixth in a double switch, and Pat Burrell who went 0 for 7, leaving ten men on base and eighteen runners in two days. Of their nineteen hits, seven would be for extra-bases (2B (4), 3B (1), HR (2)), with one of them being a double by pitcher Clay Condrey, which would start off the rally in the fifth inning. The Phillies would also steal six bases, with Rollins leading the way there with three. The Phillies seems to have regain their swagger from last year, and it would seem that they have finally found their leader: Shane Victorino, based on his reaction to getting his triple at the start of the thirteenth inning.

The now first place Phillies (73-59), back in first place, and for the first time fourteen games over .500, will faced the now second place Mets (73-60), looking to see if they can sweep the now stunned New Yorkers and end the very successful home stand at 8-1. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be Kyle Kendrick (11-7, 4.87), who is coming off a victory against the Dodgers on August 22, as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up only one earned run on three hits, in the Phillies’ 8-1 win. In his last start against the Mets on July 6, he received a no-decision, as he gave up only one earned run on eight scattered hits, in the Phillies’ 4-2 lost. Careerwise, he is 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA in three starts against the Mets. His mission will be two fold, to get through as many innings as he can to give the bullpen a sorely needed rest after last night’s game and to keep the Mets’ offense as silent as possible so that the resurgent Phillies’ offense can work over the Mets’ pitching staff. The Mets will counter with their ace Johan Santana (12-7, 2.64), who is coming off a win over the Astros on August 22, where he went seven innings, giving up no runs on eight hits, in the Mets’ 3-0 win. He has won his last three starts. In his last two starts against the Phillies, he has thrown two no-decisions, as the Mets’ bullpen would lose both games, as he would go a combine sixteen innings, giving up only four earned runs on fourteen hits. Santana’s mission will be trying to keep the Phillies’ bats quiet while hoping the Mets’ will score enough runs so that the bullpen won’t be able to blow it this time.

The once again first place Phillies lead the presently shocked Mets by half a game, as they won their fifth game in a row, and the ninth in their last eleven games since being swept by the Dodgers. The Marlins trail the Phillies by six as they lost to the Braves. The Phillies will be trying to increase their lead over the Mets before they head off to Chicago to meet the Major League leading Cubs for four games.

The Phillies (72-59) will face the first place Mets (73-59) in an important two games series for first place in the National League East. The first game of this short series will be played in Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.54), who is coming off a no-decision against the Nationals on August 21, going six and two-thirds innings, giving up just an earned run on five hits, in the Phillies’ 4-3 lost. His last two starts against the Mets were a pair of no-decisions, both of which would eventually be lost by the Phils, as he would go a combined thirteen and two-thirds innings, giving up four earned runs on nine hits. In four quality starts against the Mets this year, he is 1-1 with two no-decisions, giving up only eight earned runs on twenty hits. Lifetime against the Mets, he is 7-4 with a 2.85 ERA in eighteen starts. He will be looking to pitch his fifteenth straight good start, as he goes for his second straight win, while trying to pitch the Phillies back into first place. The Mets will counter with Pedro Martinez (4-3, 3.97), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on August 21, as he pitched seven innings, giving up four earned runs on seven hits, in the Mets’ 5-4 win. In his last start against the Phillies on July 7, he would get the win as he pitches five and one thirds inning, giving up two earned runs on five hits, in the Mets’ 10-9 win. He will be trying to keep the Mets in first place in the East against a resurgent Phillies’ offense, hoping that they won’t be able to take advantage of his recent return from the disabled list.

The Phillies will be trying to retake the lead or stay real close to the Mets, hoping for a sweep, while being happy with a split, as they hope to end a so far very successful home stand with, hopefully, two more wins. The offense will be trying to see if it can hurt both Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana enough in the series so that it can then get at a now Billy Wagner-less Mets’ bullpen, so that they can light it up in the late innings, while hoping that its own suddenly better pitching staff will keep the Mets’ batters from getting on base and scoring runs. They will be hoping, now more than ever, for important contributions from the first four men in the line-up.

The Phillies trail the visiting Mets by a half game as they start a two games series. The Marlins are five games in back of the Phillies as they head to Atlanta to play the woeful Braves. The Phillies hope to come up well in this short series before they head off to Chicago for a four games series with the Major League leading Cubs.

The Phillies (61-50) will be starting a two series, six games home stand with a three games series against the second place Marlins (59-53). The first game of the series will be played tonight at Citizens Bank Park, and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be the 45 years young veteran Jamie Moyer (10-6, 3.79), who has pitched a win against the Nationals on July 30, and has pitched his tenth straight good outing, as he goes six innings, going up only three earned runs, all given up in the first inning, on six hits, in the Phillies’ 8-5 win. Career wise he has been a major thorn in the Marlins’ side, going 10-0 in ten starts with a ERA of 3.03, including three wins recorded so far this season, where he has pitched twenty-one total innings, giving up only seven earned runs on thirteen hits to the fish. Moyer will be trying to continue his dominance over the Marlins’ while trying to set the tone for the present home stand. His opponent will be Josh Johnson (1-0, 4.18), who is coming off his first victory in four starts since coming off the disabled list and doing it against the Mets on July 30, going six and two-thirds innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits, in the Marlins’ 7-5 win. He has faced the Phils once so far this season, getting a no-decision on July 20, pitching six and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits, in the Marlins’ 3-2 win. He will be trying to improve on his previous start against the Phillies while trying to keep the Marlins close against the divisional leader.

The Phillies will be coming home after having a winning road trip which saw them sweep the Nationals and then take the series from the Cardinals, despite the offense being kept quiet during the series, especially their 1-3 hitters. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley will have to do better than they did in St. Louis, where they went a combined 5 for 33, with three walks, if they plan to help the team score the runs needed to beat the fish. At the same time, the starters will have to keep from giving up the long ball to the young turks of the Marlins, since that is really the only way to help stop their offense. If they can get this young team swinging at either bad pitches or at junk, the Phillies should have an easier time winning the series. Otherwise, this is going to be a very hard fought series. Hopefully, Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Cole Hamels can help lead the way to a series victory against Florida.

The Phillies will enter tonight’s game with a two and a half game lead over the Marlins, while their lead over the Mets is at three game, as the Mets prepare to face the Padres at New York, and doing it without the services of a hurting Billy Wagner. The Braves now trail the Phillies by ten and a half games after a lost last night to the Giants. Unless they can spark a late run, the Braves are all but out of the pennant race. The Phillies will be trying to put some serious distance between themselves and the Marlins and the Mets, to take full control of the division, starting tonight.

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